TWO teenagers have been jailed for an arson attack on a friend's home which left him terrified he would be “burned alive”.

A court heard the incident took place because the victim had failed to get them tickets for a sixth-form party at Friesland Secondary School in Sandiacre.

Jon Wood, prosecuting, told Derby Crown Court that, at about 1am, the friend was dozing and was awakened by a bang.

He saw smoke and discovered a firework had been pushed through the letterbox of his home in Nathaniel Road, Long Eaton. It had landed on tiling and did little damage.

“He said he was terrified that if it had landed on the carpet, he would have been burned alive,” said Mr Wood.

When he got upstairs, he saw three youths running away.

“A few minutes later, he heard another bang and looked out to see an explosion among recycling bags in the yard,” Mr Wood said.

Luke Jones, 18, of Granville Avenue, Long Eaton, and James Turner-York, 19, of Leicester Street, Long Eaton, were each given 12 months' youth custody.

The pair admitted arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered on November 15.

Judge Rosalind Bush told them: “That is the minimum sentence my public duty will allow. This was an extremely serious offence.”

She accepted that the pair had not been in trouble before and that alcohol played a part.

The judge added: “It isn't an excuse and doesn't remove responsibility from you. You have not got good thinking skills at the best of times. When you are drunk you have none.”

Mr Wood told the court a third youth tried to talk them out of it.

He said the three knew each other through school – they had arranged to go out together because there was a sixth form party organised at Friesland. He said the victim should have bought the tickets but failed to do so, and went with a group of other friends.

Siward James-Moore, for Turner-York, said: “It was an act of crass stupidity which he deeply regrets. He does not just regret it, but he is expressing genuine remorse.”

The victim had been a good friend since primary school days, he added.

Hal Ewing, for Jones, said: “There is remorse and regret for what he has done.

“He has lost a friend as a result,” he told the judge.